Moskovsky Komsomolets: “Cancer Ward for Children Is Under Construction”
Tatyana Zamakhina
The Prime Minister keeps his word to a boy who died
Vladimir Putin kept the promise he made to Dima Rogachev, a boy who was sick with leukaemia. About three years ago, 10-year-old Dima wrote a letter to Putin, saying, "Come and have tea and pancakes with me". Putin came to meet the boy and promised to build a state-of-the-art medical centre in Moscow.
Yesterday the Prime Minister had a chance to see that the 10.6 billion roubles earmarked for the project have not been wasted. Dima Rogachev did not live to see the start of construction - he passed away about a year ago. "But when the centre opens, 10% fewer children will die from leukaemia and other cancers, and blood and immunology diseases." Thus, if today 80% of children survive, after 2011 (the centre is due to open in June 2011) a whopping 90% will survive.
The Centre for Oncology, Haematology, and Immunology is being built as part of the Russian Children's Clinical Hospital (where Putin visited Dima). Arriving at the construction site where work began four months ago, the Prime Minister asked, "How many children will you take in?"
"400 patients a year," the director of the future Centre replied, which is three times the present number. Even more importantly, Russian doctors will now be able to use state-of-the-art equipment that the project's German partners will provide.
"Are you working in contact with the German partners?" the Prime Minister asked.
"We have set up a joint board..."
A little later, Putin talked with a board member in German. "He speaks wonderful German," Russian-speaking doctor Andrea von Knop told journalists later. "I got confused because I had prepared a speech in Russian, and he started speaking German." The German woman said that the Prime Minister thanked her for cooperation and promised to meet with the German doctors in January.
Putin was told that the centre was unique not only in Russia, but in Europe: "Our centre has the largest area (4.5 hectares) and the best equipment." The Prime Minister even spotted a helicopter landing on the mockup scheme he was shown, causing him to ask, "You cut the cost estimate, but you still have a helicopter landing?". "The firemen insist on having it in case of emergency evacuation," the project supervisors explained. At the end of the visit, Putin was presented with a transparent brick: "Sign it and give it your blessing." After signing it he received a miniature copy of the brick in the shape of a key-holder.
"We will try out new methods here," the deputy director promised. "The treatment we use now is rather cruel and toxic. The main thing is saving the patient's life, but 20 years later the patient may die from complications. When the new cell technology is introduced, treatments will be gentler."
